Britannic and Mitel launch Sovaris, sovereign uk-hosted UC & CX platform. Molly Edwards 23rd June 2026 Providing organisations with choice and flexibility for sovereign communications. Guildford, UK, 16th June 2026 - Britannic Technologies, a UK-based systems integrator and managed service provider, today announced a collaboration with Mitel to launch Sovaris, a UK-hosted sovereign communications platform. The solution combines Mitel's enterprise communications technology with Britannic's private cloud infrastructure, NetX communications control, systems integration and managed services capability. Demand for sovereign technology solutions continues to accelerate, particularly in the public sector, healthcare, financial services, and defence organisations. Amid increasing regulatory pressures, cyber resilience requirements, cloud concentration risk concerns and a growing emphasis on the need for operational independence in critical infrastructure. Gartner predicts that by 2030, more than 75% of enterprises outside the United States will have a digital sovereignty strategy supported by a sovereign cloud approach. Sovaris is more than just a hosting model; it is a control layer for voice, unified communications, data, and customer engagement systems. Designed for organisations to minimise operational risks, enhance resiliency and streamline their communications infrastructure. Providing choice and flexibility across public, private and hybrid cloud environments, while retaining control over how critical services and data are hosted, managed, and secured. All backed by UK expertise and a communications platform engineered to deliver 99.999% availability across SIP and telephony services, It combines Mitel's high-availability communications platform with Britannic's UK-owned and developed NetX communications control and orchestration layer, enabling organisations to modernise telephony and customer engagement environments without wholesale replacement of existing investments. Customers can access capabilities including AI-powered analytics, real-time language translation, call branding, workflow automation and intelligent customer engagement tools. In contrast to UCaaS and contact centre platforms delivered primarily from public cloud environments, Sovaris complements existing UCaaS ecosystems by providing a sovereign deployment option for organisations requiring UK-hosted communications infrastructure, enhanced control over voice and signalling and greater operational independence. Jonathan Sharp, CEO of Britannic Technologies, comments, "Organisations increasingly recognise that communications, customer interaction data and AI-driven insights are strategic assets that directly influence operational performance, customer experience and resilience. Britannic Technologies Limited selected Mitel because of their proven ability to deliver highly resilient, mission-critical communications environments at scale, where availability, reliability and business continuity are non-negotiable. Their private-instance architecture, innovation roadmap and enterprise-grade reliability make them an ideal long-term partner for its sovereign communications strategy. Its partnership spans more than 24 years and is built on a shared commitment to resilience, innovation and customer success. By combining Mitel's communications platform with its UK-developed NetX control and orchestration layer, private cloud infrastructure and managed services expertise, Sovaris enables organisations to modernise communications while maintaining security, compliance and operational control." "Mitel are incredibly proud to support the launch of Sovaris alongside Britannic and it is a natural evolution of our long-standing partnership. By combining Mitel's proven, enterprise-grade communications platform with Britannic's sovereign UK cloud and NetX innovation, we're giving organisations the confidence to modernise while retaining full control, resilience and compliance. This offering is a powerful example of how we're helping customers navigate increasing regulatory and operational demands without compromising on innovation or customer experience," comments, Stuart Aldridge Head of UK, Ireland & South Africa at Mitel. Learn More About Sovaris About Britannic Technologies. Britannic Technologies is a UK-based systems integrator, technology innovator, managed services provider and outcome-focused transformation partner, trusted by organisations across the public and private sectors. With more than 40 years of experience, Britannic designs, integrates, delivers and manages communications, customer experience, AI, networking and cyber security solutions that connect people, processes and data. Through a consultative, outcome-led approach, Britannic helps organisations improve customer experience, increase operational efficiency, strengthen resilience and accelerate digital transformation. Through its UK-hosted communications platforms, managed services expertise and proprietary NetX technology, Britannic enables organisations to modernise operations while maintaining security, resilience, compliance and operational control required for business-critical environments. Supporting public cloud, private cloud and hybrid deployment models, Britannic provides the flexibility and operational support organisations need to achieve their strategic objectives.

Focus Group and Mitchells & Butlers raise the barfor digital transformation across UK hospitality estate. Automation-led, Cisco-powered infrastructure delivers secure, scalable digital foundation across 1,700+ venues Focus Group, a leading UK technology partner and Cisco 360 Partner, has kicked off a large-scale digital transformation programme with Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), one of the UK's largest operators of pubs, restaurants and hotels. Underpinned by next-generation Cisco infrastructure - representing one of the company's largest-ever UK commercial deals at $17 million - the programme is modernising connectivity, security and operations across more than 1,700 venues nationwide. The project represents one of the largest Cisco commercial engagements in the UK hospitality sector, delivering a future-ready, cloud-first network designed to support growth, resilience and exceptional guest experiences. Mitchells & Butlers partnered with Focus Group to refresh and standardise its digital infrastructure at scale moving beyond basic connectivity to create a secure, flexible platform capable of supporting evolving business and customer needs. Over an 18-month tender process, Focus Group invested heavily in presales design, automation frameworks and specialist technical resources to ensure the programme would deliver long-term value. The result will be a highly resilient, centrally managed network powered by Cisco technologies including Wi-Fi 7, SD-WAN, upgraded LAN infrastructure, Secure Service Edge (SSE) and a roadmap toward a full zero-trust security architecture. Focus Group's automation-first approach sets the engagement apart, generating significant operational and cost efficiencies. These savings were reinvested into expanding the scope of the M&B project, enabling more sites, users and advanced capabilities to be included than originally planned. Focus Group has been able to deploy M&B's ISP connectivity and networking as a single project, thereby minimising disruption and ensuring business continuity for critical trading hours across a range of business types within M&B's portfolio. Today, Mitchells & Butlers supports around 6,000 users across 18 well-known brands. The new Cisco-based platform will provide a unified, cloud-managed foundation that simplifies operations, enhances security and enables consistent digital experiences for staff and guests alike. In addition to Cisco networking and security, Focus Group integrated complementary technologies including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 managed backup and recovery and a Mitel Contact Centre solution, all fully managed by Focus Group's dedicated teams. "This collaboration with Mitchells & Butlers represents exactly what we strive for at Focus Group, combining innovation with real-world impact," said Neil Hall, CEO, Focus Group. "By bringing together the best of Cisco technology with our expertise in automation, cloud and security, we're not just delivering a network. We're building a digital foundation that will empower M&B's brands, teams and customers for years to come." Working closely with Mitchells & Butlers and Cisco, Focus Group led the design, deployment and governance of the solution, ensuring alignment with business outcomes throughout. "By embracing next-generation Cisco technologies and leading with Focus Group's automation-first approach, we're building a network that will not only be secure and resilient, but ready to grow with us," said Andrew Benson, Director for Business Change & Technology, Mitchells & Butlers. "The unified, cloud-first approach is simplifying how we operate, unlocking cost efficiencies, and most importantly, empowering our teams to deliver consistent and outstanding experiences to our guests. It's a bold step toward future proofing our business and staying ahead in a fast-moving digital world." Cisco also highlighted the strength of the partnership: "This significant investment marks an exciting next stage in our relationship, where together with Focus Group, we will deliver a secure, resilient, and scalable network that empowers their teams and enhances guest experiences across 1,700 locations. We are grateful to Focus Group for their invaluable partnership in bringing this joint vision to life and look forward to driving continued innovation and success alongside Mitchells & Butlers." said Ben Jones, Commercial Director UKI, Cisco. As of day one of the project, 75% of M&B's sites were migrated to FttP connectivity and as the full rollout continues for connectivity and networking, they will benefit from advanced security and centralised management. The platform positions Mitchells & Butlers to rapidly adopt new digital services, respond to market change and continue innovating across the hospitality experience. To learn more about how Focus on Hospitality can support your business, contact: [email protected]